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The Ned Jaquith Foundation

It is our pleasure to share with all the establishment
of the Ned Jaquith Foundation.

This non-profit foundation commemorates the legacy of Ned Jaquith, a consummate horticulturist and nurseryman who specialized in bamboo, and was particularly interested in bamboo research, propagation and art. He also was a guy who loved life, cherished his friends, and knew how to laugh. For many bambuseros, he was a respected mentor.

The purpose of the Foundation is to encourage and support bamboo research projects increasing the collective knowledge of bamboo. The Foundation will support the goals of the American Bamboo Society (ABS) but will be a separate working body, administered by an advisory committee. Grant funding will be provided to students and researchers who wish to work within the field of bamboo focused on such issues as botanical identification, wild and domestic collection, genetic preservation, propagation techniques, bamboo art and bamboo-related environmental concerns (i.e. habitat restoration, etc).

Thanks to kind permission granted by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ABS, the Foundation has obtained non-profit status, allowing individuals, commercial businesses and other societies & organizations to give donations as tax-deductible contributions.

The NJF Advisory Committee currently consists of its founders: Nancy Oberschmidt, Ned’s wife; Noah Bell, Manager of Bamboo Garden Nursery; Charissa Brock, Artist; Galyn Carlile, Educator; James Clever, President American Bamboo Society; Mike Remmick, Botanist; and Susanne Lucas, World Bamboo Organization. One board member of the ABS will always be included on the Advisory Committee.

The Ned Jaquith Foundation recently awarded two grants in 2014. The first award was in the amount of $2,500, given to the “Hoyt Arboretum Bamboo Forest Collection” submitted by Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Portland Oregon, and the second award of $950 to “Increasing Bamboo Agroforestry on the Galera Peninsula, Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador” submitted by Rick Valley.

A GREAT TRIBUTE! A NEWLY-DISCOVERED BAMBOO NOW BEARS THE NAME OF NED JAQUITH

Chusquea is the most diverse among woody bamboo genera, with 174 described species. Not surprisingly, Chusquea is the most diverse bamboo genus in Mexico, and with the description of C. nedjaquithii the number of species will increase to 20, representing almost 45% of the total Mexican woody bamboo diversity. Based on fieldwork in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and revision of herbarium specimens we describe and illustrate C. nedjaquithii, a species endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur in Oaxaca, Mexico.